Surviving When All is Lost
by TheVampireStoryTeller
Summary: How does George Weasley really feel after he basically loses half of himself? How does he cope iwth the almost unbearable pain? *Sumary sucks, I know. But the story is probably better! Rated M for mature themes and dialogue. PLEASE R&R!*


Empty.

That's all George Weasley felt as he stared down at his now dead twin.

Bitter tears threatened to spill from his eyes and he tried to turn away, but he was frozen in place. He felt the others come around to stand near him and Ginny wrapped her arms around his torso. His mum was sobbing into his father's embrace as he stared down as if barely believing what he was seeing.

Neither could he.

"George?" He heard his sister ask timidly. Numbly, he looked down into her brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head and she hugged him harder. All of the Weasleys and Hermione sat down at a table in the Great Hall; he was surprised Harry wasn't with them.

"It's going to be all right now," Ron was saying and he absently nodded with the rest of them. "You-know-who's dead."

"For goodness sake, Ronald, just say it!" Hermione said testily and after a bit of argument he said, "Fine… V-Voldemort. Happy?"

She gave him a small smile and a kiss on the cheek, "Yes."

So those two finally got together, huh? Fred would have a kick of making fun of them.

At the thought his heart gave a painful wrench.

Fred was dead.

Gone from this world, forever and ever. He would never hear his jokes again, or be a smarmy git with him. George's twin was dead and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Just then, he heard Luna Lovegood cry, "Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" and point out a window.

And while everyone else stared at where she was pointing, George was looking at her and saw Harry disappear under his Invisibility Cloak.

Lucky bastard.

He would do anything to escape right now, to just walk away from everyone and everything.

With a glance back at Fred's body, his stomach turned.

"I've gotta go," he muttered to Ginny and rose from the table.

"Where are—"she began questioningly but he walked off.

George shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered around aimlessly. He knew the castle so well that his feet practically had minds of their own. They led him to the bathroom in the fourth floor corridor. He stepped inside towards the sink and splashed his face with water a few times.

He then gripped the edges of the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He might as well have been staring at Fred.

Enraged, his grip tightened and before he knew it, George had brought his fist to the mirror, smashing it.

The glass flew everywhere and had cut him. His now throbbing hand was bleeding and the pain felt… Good.

He leaned his back against the wall and slid downwards. Picking up a rather large shard from the ground, he slid it against the inside edge of his wrist. Blood trickled down his hand and he watched it drip to the floor in fascination.

The pain meant that he could feel.

The pain meant that he was alive.

Unlike Fred.

This thought alone made him bring the shard to his arm again, cutting lightly and biting his lips as tears welled in his eyes.

Fred Weasley, his twin brother, his partner in crime, his best friend… Was dead.

Slice.

He would never laugh again, never breathe, never prank.

Slice.

He was gone from this world forever.

Slice.

Just then he heard a dreamy voice saying, "Hello? Is anyone in there?" And quickly stood up and rushed to the sink.

Luna Lovegood meandered in just as he had washed all of the blood from his left arm and rolled his sleeve down.

"Oh, my, what a mess…" she said.

"Hullo Luna," George croaked, his voice breaking from not being in use for a while.

"Hello, George. How are you feeling?" She asked seriously and he sighed.

"I'm fine." Was his automatic answer as he put up his poker face and then thought, 'Wow, is this how Harry feels all the time? I should stop bothering him…'

"That's a lie."

"W-what?"

"That. Is. A. Lie. You are not fine."

After a moment of silence, he sighed and muttered, "Is it that obvious?"

"It's your eyes. They show raw emotion. Pain, mostly."

"I wonder why," was his sarcastic remark and he instantly regretted it as she looked slightly hurt but then masked it with an unemotional stare.

"Sorry I snapped at you, Luna, it's just… It's been a long day, you know?" He said hoping to get on her good side.

"I understand; a lot of people wouldn't… But I do."

"What do you mean?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I know what it feels like to lose someone extremely close… I know how it hurts, George," she mumbled and they stood there together, only their breathing breaking the quietness of the scene.

"Hmmm, I take it you want to be alone?" Luna asked, finally looking him full in the face.

"No. It's fine. Please, please stay," George said a little too quickly as his eyes dropped to look at the shard of glass on the ground near him.

"Well why don't I fix this, huh? _Reparo_. There, all better."

He gave a noncommittal grunt and then said, "Luna, why is it that you don't consider yourself one with friends?" The question had been bothering him for a while now and he thought this was a slightly appropriate time to ask

She shrugged, "People think I'm strange. People think I'm different."

"Well, sometimes different is good. Sometimes… It's like a breath of fresh air that basically cleanses your whole body. It's especially welcome to me."

"Thank you," she beamed at him and he gave her a tight smile back.

"Well, Luna Lovegood, would you do the honor of being my best friend?" He said as suavely as he could and she giggled.

"Why, George Weasley, it would be my pleasure."

Being with Luna had given George a few minutes without the entire ache. She was like a sun to his gloomy day; brightening things up for him, even just a little. She had given him a few moments that had dulled the pain of losing his twin.

His soul mate, his other half, the one who completed him.

Clenching his fists and sighing again, he followed her out of the bathroom and walked back down to the Great Hall occasionally being approached by people wishing him well and giving him their condolences. He put on his brave face and thanked them, even though he knew that they didn't get it.

He reached the table that seated his family and looked down at them as they tried to wipe away their tears. They were hiding them.

"Georgie, come here, come sit with us," his mother ushered while patting a spot next to her and he turned to look at Luna, but she merely gave him an encouraging smile, wave, and walked off.

With her, went his sun; the only thing keeping him from breaking down entirely.

"Yes, all right, I will," he said extremely quietly and sat between his mother and father.

"How are you feeling?" Mr. Weasley asked with a concerned look. His reaction was the same as when Luna asked him.

"I'm fine."

His little scene in the bathroom had more than exhausted him so he said nothing as his family chattered around him. George felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Harry there.

"Walk with me," he said; his voice small.

"Sure." He hastily stood up and pursued Harry out onto the staircases.

After a little while he heard him mutter, "I'm sorry. It- it's all my fault."

"Don't say that, Harry," George started automatically. "Stop being a git and taking the blame."

"But if I had handed myself to Vold—"

"Harry. I said stop."

"But—"

"No. It was his time to go; one way or another he would have died. I'm sure he would have been happy to know it happened while he was fighting for something he believed in. You. The fate of everything in the world. He died trying to protect you and your cause and, well, we should honor that."

Harry looked at him in shock and George thought, 'Wow, I must be a better actor than I thought.'

After some time he cleared his throat and said, "Well, you know, this castle isn't gonna repair itself. We'd better go and help everyone."

But when they reached the Great Hall once more, the tables were filled with food and there were house-elves standing around them, grinning at the positive reaction to the feast they made.

They walked over to the Weasleys and Angelina Johnson approached George.

"Wanna take a walk with me?" She asked and Harry quickly snuck away from the two to sit with Ginny.

He gulped, "S-sure…"


End file.
